Chapter Forty-Four
S ilas as the designated driver was nothing compared to Chloe and her crazy, unhinged turns and race car speed.
For once, I didn’t feel like my stomach ended up in my throat.
Clutching the handle in the back seat, we arrived at Sunset Park before midnight, the night sky somewhat clear, a few stars shining through the haze of city lights in the distance. Silas parked the van along the docks, the ocean water lapping lazily against the shoreline. A sea breeze kissed my cheeks, and the smell of smoke and stale fish tickled my nose.
Emilia pulled out her pager, most likely notifying Captain Harrison of our arrival. Josh polished an arrow on his shirt, surveying the grounds, sometimes catching my attention with a look of uncertainty.
Jules, Silas, and Cillian looked over the map, commenting on possible locations of other squads, but judging upon first sight, we were the only ones around.
“Anyone else having trouble with their pager? I can’t seem to get a signal.” Emilia held the device high in the air, trying to get through.
“Odds are, if yours is down, so are the rest of ours,” commented Silas.
That’s not good. How is anyone going to know we arrived? Anxiety prickled my skin.
Whatever happens, do not leave my side. Josh finished polishing the tip of his arrow, walking over to Emilia. “What’s the plan?”
She gave up then, storing the pager back on her person. “We’re here now. Might as well scope the area. Silas and Jules, you take the rear. Cillian and I will take the second building over. Can you handle the first one on your own?” She looked over at me, then back to Josh.
“Is it wise to split up?” he questioned.
“Considering we’re not that far apart, we should be okay,” noted Cillian, eyeing him like a pesky bug.
I was surprised Josh didn’t fight harder on the matter, and he motioned for me to go first. “Lead the way, Rem.”
Removing my dagger, I gripped the sleek pommel and took a deep breath, walking with my chin held high but anxiety not too far behind.
I slid the wide doors open to a three-story abandoned factory building, revealing old machines and empty boxes filled with shriveled peanut packing material scattered in every direction. Our steps were strategic, keeping close as we traveled further in, finding the first set of stairs.
Josh positioned his arrow while he looked up from the bottom step, judging how far it went. I’ll go first.
He led the way up the winding staircase, bow and arrow aimed, ready to release at any moment. My heart raced with each step I took; the higher we got, the faster my heart pumped, the air becoming thinner, and the dust kicking up at our feet.
Josh signaled to everyone through his earpiece that we had made it to the top floor with no sign of demon activity.
Olemaks leave a burnt smell, like rotting flesh, explained Josh.
That’s concerning. How are we going to tell the difference between an Olemak and a victim burning alive?
We pray it’s the former.
I was about to ask another question when the iron stairs began to rattle underneath our feet. We stood frozen in time, waiting for the rumbling to stop. In the distance came a laugh, making the hair on my arms stand, my neck prickling with fear. It sounded so human-like that I wondered if I misheard, mistaking it for our other squad members.
Josh grabbed my arm. “It’s not an Olemak nest.”
I gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?”
“We just walked right into the hive of an Azroneg.” The fear in his eyes scared me.
Azroneg? “Dare I ask?” I kept my voice low, scanning the area, wondering when it’d make its presence known.
“A trickster demon.”
Pressing his finger to his earpiece, the following words out of his mouth made my skin crawl.
“I don’t know how long we have.” Josh was talking as if we would fall into our graves any minute.
“Where is it coming from?” I asked, scanning the area around us. We had limited space on the second floor to fight if the Azroneg decided to attack. I gripped the handle of my dagger and kept it close, watching any unexpected movements from my peripherals.
Josh added a bow to his arrow, aiming over my head. “Whatever you do, don’t look it in the eye.”
“Eye?”
Silence filled the tight space as we waited for it to appear, but only dust swirled, the creaks of the iron stairs protesting as Cillian came into view. “Have you seen it yet?”
“Josh, it’s Cillian,” I said, lowering my weapon.
He shook his head, arrow still aimed. “No, it’s not. He would never leave Emilia by herself.”
I stilled, every inch of my body paralyzed in fear at the realization that the Azroneg, the trickster, stood before us as Cillian. Suddenly, his face contorted, shifting into a skeleton-like demon with a mouth more extensive than a shark, hissing like a cat. One eye, red like the blood that ran through my veins, in the center of its forehead. I quickly averted my eyes to another spot on its hideous figure.
“Remi! Duck!”
I crouched just in time to see one of Josh’s arrows fly past, striking the Azroneg in the shoulder. Black liquid sprayed from the wound as it pulled the arrow out, teeth grinding in anger as it charged for us. The power of the Blessing ran through my veins as I skidded across the limited space, gripping the railing to keep from falling over. Josh had already dodged its first attack, another arrow ready to be released. The Azroneg wasted no time with its next assault, throwing punches left and right at my head, my reflexes reacting on instinct to avoid damage.
It screamed in fury, its mouth widening, when another eerie laugh came from the floor above.
We got fucking company , announced Josh.
The Azroneg ran at me headfirst, mouth wide open, trying to latch onto my arm, and I spun past, landing my attack straight into the back of its skull.
But I wasn’t fast enough to catch the second Azroneg. It landed a blow in my side, tackling me to the ground.
Remi! cried Josh.
My head slammed hard against the stone floor, stars flashing behind my eyes. I heard the crunch of bone, the beast collapsing in a heap beside me. Emilia helped me to my feet, her face covered in dust, some blood splattered on her hair.
The iron steps rattled as another set of feet rushed to the top, the real Cillian sweating and bruised.
He saw me first, gripping the railing before assessing the situation with Josh and the Azroneg going strike for strike.
The sound of arrows whizzed by, hitting their target, and the Azroneg screeched in pain.
Then I heard the snap of a bow.
Emilia and I turned to Josh just as it seized him. My heart thumped erratically as it caught him by the throat. Cillian dove, firing an arrow from his crossbow, stopping it from choking Josh to death, its claws releasing him, and he stepped back. But more kept coming. No matter how hard we fought to keep them at bay, it wasn’t enough.
Josh was surrounded, trying to fire as fast as he could.
I screamed in fear and ran forward, my dagger aimed directly at its chest as I pounced, putting all my force into the jump, about to drag the dagger down its back, when it reached around, striking me in the chest, and I slammed back against the iron railing. It shook from the force as I landed face first, pain shooting up my chest to my neck.
The dagger I once held skidded across the floor, and suddenly the space was filled with the sound of bones breaking and a rough scream.
Josh.
Emilia tackled it to the ground, using my dagger to fight it off. Josh lay broken on the floor, blood seeping through his clothes into a puddle by his feet, one of his eyes swollen shut. I held onto the railing for support, pulling myself up to reach him. Every step felt like an eternity, my eyes glued to his limp body, unchanging when I finally got him. I collapsed on top of his chest, cradling his face in my hands. While Kal swiped left and right, knocking the Azroneg to the floor, Josh remained still, pulse weak and blood coating his clothes and hair. Tears slid down my cheeks as I prayed to the Heavens he pulled through.
Then the iron stairs began to collapse.
Cillian had been tossed aside like a rag doll on the stairs, creating an earthquake from the force. Emilia screamed, trying to get to him.
The Azrodag laughed menacingly, its one eye socket oozing with black blood, craning its neck to peer over to where I lay on top of Josh.
“Come and get me,” I taunted.
Another bone-chilling laugh came from its hideous mouth, and it launched forward. I extended my palms out, shielding Josh, screaming with rage at what it did to my guardian , when warm light shot from my hands, frying the Azroneg demon into dust. Every surface of the room illuminated from its brightness until it returned inside me. I gasped for air, stunned and spent from the energy that surged through me. Not a single Azroneg survived the blast.
Hunched over, I checked for Josh’s pulse, relieved to find his heart continued to beat.
Suddenly, some of the dirty skylights shattered, shards of glass crashing to the floor as four Tutelary Saints dropped from above, along with their Scarlets, surveying the room.
Baron spotted me where I sat, Josh’s head in my lap.
Emilia sobbed where the stairs once were, leaning over, trying to find Cillian.
“Is he…?”
I pointed to the collapsed stairs, tears flowing freely down my cheeks.
Silas shouted from the bottom. “I found him!”
Three Saints jumped down, landing with a hard thud at the bottom. I choked on my tears, stroking Josh’s face for comfort. His breathing was shallow, nearing death with every second that passed.
“Remi…” Baron touched my shoulder.
“I need him here. I need him,” I cried.
Baron took my hands away from Josh and forced me to look at him. “We have to get up and move him. He’s lost too much blood.”
“How?”
“To the window. Asher has a stretcher attached to the ladder. We strap him in and slide him down,” explained Baron.
When I didn’t say anything, Baron forced me to look at him. “If we don’t move now, he could die.”
I nodded weakly as Baron and Kal lifted Josh in their arms, the sight of him broken nearly sending me back to my knees.
Baron instructed me to keep the window from shutting, and Asher from below hoisted the ladder right onto the windowsill. Another Saint I didn’t recognize dragged the thin stretcher up the ladder, helping Baron and Kal place Josh slowly down, strapping him securely in place.
I watched them both inch down, keeping two hands on the stretcher, making sure it didn’t tip.
Gazing down at my palms, I saw dirt and half-healed cuts, wounds to remember the battle we almost lost, but not a single trace of that golden light was left behind.